Euromusic Song Contest 2018
The Euromusic Song Contest 2017 will be the 10th edition of the annual Euromusic Song Contest. The contest will be hosted by Italy for the first time following Ariana Grande's victory in the 2017 edition with her song "Origo". Depending on the final number of participants, the contest may consist of semi-finals alongside the final, as had been done with a format of two semi-finals and a final since 2009. At the Heads of Delegations meeting held on 11 March 2017 in Switzerland, it was announced that the preliminary dates for the two semi-finals are 11 and 13 June, with the final on 15 June 2018. These dates may be subject to change. This will be the first time Italy hosts the contest. Location For more details on the host country, see Italy As of 12 June 2017, six cities have expressed an interest in hosting the contest: Pesaro, Bologna, Milan, Florence, Torino and Rome. 'Bidding phase' The Deputy Chief of the host broadcaster, the Rai – Radiotelevisione italiana and the Head of Delegation for Italy, stated on 10 June 2017 that the first organisational meeting for the contest would take place before 8 July, during which the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Rai – Radiotelevisione italiana would go through the technical requirements for the contest, as well as any training required for the contest to take place in Italy. On 15 June 2017 Rai – Radiotelevisione italiana(Rai) relieved the stage idea design for the 2018 edition. They declared that wants a unique stage and very expensive one no matter where the show will be. The stage will costs 17,000,000 €. Rai – Radiotelevisione italiana and the Italian Government formally launched the bidding process for interested cities to apply to host the contest on 12 June. The selection of the host city was scheduled to be conducted in two stages: #12 June – 16 June: Interested cities were formally invited to submit their bids. #16–21 June: The four shortlisted cities were inspected by representatives from the EBU and LOC to explore their infrastructure and implementation of their bids. A press conference was initially planned to be held during this period to announce the selection results and the host city. Format Visual design The theme for the contest, All Aboard!, was unveiled on 7 November 2017. Its visual design features oceanic motifs that allude to Lisbon's location along the country's Atlantic coast; alongside the main emblem, which depicts a stylized seashell, twelve supplemental emblems were designed to symbolize different aspects of a marine ecosystem. Participating countries The following countries have expressed their provisional interest in participating in the contest: Semi-Final(s) Grand Final Returning artists Other countries Eligibility for participation in the Euromusic Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active EBU membership, or a special invitation from the EBU as in the case of Australia. Several countries have provisionally confirmed their participation in the contest, while information from the remaining members regarding their participation has not yet been disclosed. 'Active EBU members' Andorra – The Director General of Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra (RTVA) announced on 14 May 2017 that Andorra would not participate in the contest, due to financial difficulties and the restructuring of the company. Bosnia and Herzegovina – On 18 September 2017, BHRT confirmed that Bosnia and Herzegovina will not return to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2018. Luxembourg – Steve Schmit, the Director of Programming at the Luxembourgish broadcaster (RTL) explained last year the reasons against participating in the Euromusic Song Contest. He also underlined that Luxembourg’s chance for success in the contest is limited, "I believe that (with) the enlargement of Euromusic, the days (of victory) are gone. With the new voting system, it is very unlikely that Luxembourg is successful. Macedonia – On 30 October 2017, the EBU blocked Macedonia's participation, due to repeatedly unpaid debts from the national broadcaster MRT to the EBU and being unable to broadcast the Event.